Sean O'Brien could return for Leinster against Ulster this weekend as the Ireland flanker nears his return to action.

The Tullow native suffered a serious hamstring injury when playing against France during the Six Nations in February and has not played since.

He began running again last week and is stepping up his training at Leinaster's UCD base ahead of the end-of-season run in.

Whether he features at the Kingspan Stadium depends on how he comes through those sessions, but Leinster have not ruled him out of action.

His return would be a major lift for the league leaders who can move closer to a home semi-final with a win over their neighbours on Saturday.

Otherwise, the province have a clean bill of health for their trip to Belfast, with Johnny Sexton back after being rested and Peter Dooley over his hamstring problem. Marty Moore could also make his return after playing for Lansdowne in the Ulster Bank League.